South African telecommunications service provider Smartcall has announced an investment of R10 million (£562,200) in Mettlestate, a local esports content creation company.
The aim of the investment is to “drive growth within the South African gaming and esports industry.”
Barry Louzada, Co-founder of Mettlestate discussed the investment: “More leagues mean more opportunities for players at all skill levels and across various gaming titles to compete, with more rewards for the amount of time and passion they put into their craft. Since launching in March 2017, Mettlestate has hosted various leagues, tournaments and qualifiers for various gaming titles, where close to R2 million in prize money has been won by players across SA. Any investment big or small by a brand into the industry adds value.
“This investment by Smartcall will allow us to do even more amazing things and drive even more opportunities for gamers in South Africa. It’s very exciting. We’re really grateful that Smartcall, a credible brand with over 20 years of business under their belt, saw a trusted partner in Mettlestate.”
Through this investment, Mettlestate will create and host a number of leagues in the following years for South African players and teams. The company is currently partnered with ASUS Republic of Gamers, SteelSeries, and Monster Energy.
Jan Cronje, Marketing Manager at Smartcall added: “With gaming having mobile ties in both the casual and esports space, it would be a wasted opportunity to not get involved in this industry and introduce it to a whole new group of people across South Africa. We’ve been watching and talking to Mettlestate for quite some time now, and their passion, drive and flawless execution of events and leagues that they host makes us feel comfortable that we’ve put our investment in the right place. Together, we can forge the future of South African esports.”
Esports Insider says: South Africa is one of many emerging countries in the esports industry, and it requires investments like this to take things to the next level. Hopefully the leagues that come as a result of this deal will help to better support budding professionals and enable more people to pursue esports as a legitimate career path.